System for flue gas purification and a method for introducing a purifying agent.
The invention relates to a system for flue gas purification having a metering device for a purifying agent, and to a method for feeding a purifying agent for a system of this type for flue gas purification to a metering device.
In a system for flue gas purification, a consumable substance is generally used as purifying agent for purification of the flue gas. This substance is, for example, a sorbent, which is supplied as a bulk material. A typical example of a sorbent is, for example, what is known as oven coke. The purifying agent is generally supplied to the system in a storage container, which in the case of oven coke is typically what is known as a xe2x80x9cbig packxe2x80x9d.
The purifying agent is fed to a purification unit in metered form. For this purpose, a metering device is provided. The purifying agent is in turn fed to this metering device via the storage container. The storage container is sufficiently large to cover the demand for a purifying agent for a relatively long period, for example a number of days. As soon as the purifying agent in a storage container has been consumed, this container has to be replaced with a full one. Because of the size of the storage container, this is generally carried out with the aid of a fork-lift truck, by means of which the full storage container is transferred to the metering device after the empty storage container has been removed. This takes up a considerable amount of time.
The present invention is based on the object of making it easy and inexpensive to change the storage containers.
According to the invention, the object is achieved by a system for flue gas purification, having a metering device for a purifying agent, which can be fed to the metering device from a storage container, in which system there is a collection device for receiving a plurality of storage containers, by means of which collection device the storage containers can automatically be moved to the metering device.
The option of automatic movement produces the advantage that a complex, time-consuming manual exchange of the storage containers is not required. At the same time, the number of interventions required on the part of the operating staff is significantly reduced, since a plurality of storage containers can be held in the collection device, so that overall the quantity of purifying agent in the collection device is sufficient for a very long period, during which no intervention is required on the part of the operating staff. At the same time, the need for an additional store next to the collection device is eliminated.
The collection device preferably has a conveyor unit for moving the storage containers. Therefore, the conveyor unit is used to convey the corresponding storage container out of the collection device or within the collection device to the metering device. This conveyor unit is preferably at the same time also used to automatically remove an empty storage container from the metering device. The collection device therefore fulfills a dual role, namely that of storing a plurality of containers and that of automatically conveying them.
According to an expedient configuration, the conveyor unit is designed as a distribution rail, from which the storage containers can be suspended. This makes it easy to move the storage containers. As an alternative to the distribution rail, the storage containers may also be placed onto a conveyor belt or conveyor rolls.
It is preferable for the conveyor unit to be of revolving design, in order to allow simple exchange, i.e. removal of the empty storage container and supplying of the full storage container.
As an alternative to the revolving design, the conveyor unit is preferably configured as a rotatable unit with load-bearing arms in the manner of a revolving magazine, in which case a storage container can be suspended from each of the load-bearing arms. Rotation of this rotatable unit results in the storage container being changed over.
To make it easy to feed the purifying agent to the metering device, the corresponding storage container can preferably be fed to the metering device from above, in order to make use of the force of gravity. Further auxiliary means or lifting tools for feeding the purifying agent to the metering device are not required.
To allow targeted supply of the corresponding storage container, there is a guide element for guiding the storage container during the movement to the metering device.
The purifying agent is preferably a bulk material. In particular, it is a sorbent, such as for example what is known as oven coke. The storage containers are preferably what are known as xe2x80x9cbig packsxe2x80x9d.
According to the invention, the object is also achieved by a method for supplying a purifying agent for a flue gas purification system to a metering device, in which a plurality of storage containers holding the purifying agent are received by a collection device, and a storage container is fed to the metering device automatically.
The advantages and preferred configurations which have been mentioned in connection with the system can be transferred mutatis mutandis to the method.